4Culture and King County Metro are thrilled to announce the release of a series of limited edition ORCA cards in celebration of the RapidRide Expansion Program.

Three exceptional emerging artists, Jovita Mercado, Yasiman Ahsani, and Rey Daoed, supported by mentors Angelina Villalobos and Jesse Brown, have created distinctive imagery tied to the contexts, histories, peoples, and cultures that define the new RapidRide H Line as well as the forthcoming G and I Lines.

RapidRide represents Metro’s highest level of investment in service, amenities, reliability, and innovation in the form of bus rapid transit. These lines look, feel, and operate more like trains with permanent stops and shelters, real-time arrival information, off-board fare payment, branded red and yellow buses, and more.

The custom cards will be distributed at community events and made available at the King Street Center Pass Sales Office throughout 2023 (while supplies last), beginning with Jovita Mercado’s H Line design.

“My design commemorates the people who proudly display their identities and cultures. For they’re the foundation of Burien, White Center, and Delridge. These cards immortalize the diversity that people bring to create such vibrant communities.”
Jovita Mercado, RapidRide H Line (Delridge, White Center, Burien) – launched in March 2023

“My design was heavily inspired by my heritage, but most importantly, I focused on how living in the city has reconnected me to my roots as an Iranian-American. For all of my middle eastern sisters: زن. زندگی‌. آزادی. (Women. Life. Freedom.)”
Yasiman Ahsani, RapidRide G Line (Madison, Downtown, West Seattle) – launching in 2024

“Pictures and sketches of passengers made while riding the bus informed my design. I was influenced by the distinctive RapidRide color scheme too. By flipping the image vertically, it became unexpected and special – a perfect way to celebrate this new route.”
Rey Daoed, RapidRide I Line (Renton, Kent, Auburn) – launching in 2025

This project was guided by the recommendation for artist-designed ORCA cards included in the RapidRide Art Plan, commissioned by 4Culture and penned by artists Elisheba Johnson and Kristen Ramirez in 2020.

About the Artists

Yasiman Ahsani
Currently based in Seattle, WA, Yasiman Ahsani is an Iranian-American artist and game designer whose paintings, digital illustrations, and traditional prints feature bold colors, shapes, and patterns inspired by her Middle-Eastern culture. She commemorates her family’s roots and brings to life visions of the communities and organizations she has worked with here in the United States.

Rey Daoed
Born in Seattle and now residing in Sammamish, WA, Fareyza Daoed—often called Rey by his family and friends—is diagnosed with autism and apraxia of speech. Typing, handwriting, and text-to-speech apps are his preferred methods of communication. He began painting in 2015 and the medium has since become an important secondary means of connection. Rey’s artwork has been included in group exhibitions both locally and abroad and featured in public venues throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Jovita Mercado
Jovita Mercado, originally from Yakima and now based in Vancouver, WA, is a Chicana living on the hyphen of the term Mexican-American. Her practice is driven by questions about history, gender, ethnicity, identity, colonization, and exploitation. Through her acts of making, she attempts to humanize and memorialize her culture’s accomplishments and resiliency in order to inspire others.